Improvement in watches



R. POLSOM.

Watch.

No. 218,009. Patented July 29,1879.

W'IJI EEEEE.

N. PETERS, PHOTO LITMOGRAFHER, WASHWGYOVL D c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE RUFUS FOLSOM, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HlS RIGHT TO SAMUEL MYERS, OF SAME PLAOF.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 218,009, dated July 29,1879; application filed June 9, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Runes FOLSOM, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in \Vatches, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to watches, and is shown in thatclass of watchesknown as keyless watches, or those containing in themselves means towind the watch and set its hands.

\Vatches of this kind have been commonly wound and set by rotating thependent knob or stem, and are called stem-winders, and various deviceshave been used to give the proper connections between the stem and thewinding and hand arbors, such devices being usually turned by a piniondirectly attached to the stem of the watch, the said pinions comingwithin the works of the watch and re quirin g a space to be left forthem in designing it. It is impracticable to leave such a space at morethan one point in the circumference of the watch, so that the same workscannot be used in an open-faced case, in which the stem or pendant isplaced at the figure XII of the watch, and in a hunting-case, in whichthe pendant is at the figure Ill.

My invention consists in interposing a ringgear surrounding the works ofthe watch, and suitably connected with the common winding and settingdevices now in use in stenrwinding watches, so that they may be woundand set irrespective of the position of the stem with relation to theworks. The watch may be wound and set by rotating the ring-gear by anymeans, as by either the bezel or the stem.

The invention also consists in a new connecting mechanism, ashereinafter described, between the stem or bezel and the hands and win(1- ing arbors of the watch.

The connecting devices between the stem or bezel and the winding andhands arbors of the watch, as shown in my invention, consist of aring-gear of slightly larger diameter than the main plates of the watch,and suitably connected thereto, and of proper form at its outer edge topermit the bezel of the watch to be snapped or fastened thereon if thewatch is to be wound and set bythe bezel, or, if the watch is to he astem-winder, the said ring-gear is provided at its outer edge withsuitable teeth to engage a pinion attached to the stem. In either casethe ring-gear is provided with teeth on its inner edge, which engage,either directly or by a suitable intermediate gear, the teeth of theusual gear driven by the pinion on the stem of the watch to wind and setthe same, and, in the connecting mechanism in vented by me, engage agear attached to one of the main plates of the watch, and which may becalled the drivin g-gear, which meshes with an eccentric or ring pinion,formed as a toothed ring turning on a movable disk or eccentric, thesaid disk being pivoted eccentrically upon the plate of the watch insuch position that its pinion may mesh with a winding-gear upon thewinding or mainsprin g arher, or, by the proper motion of the eccentric,may mesh with one of the gears or pinions of the hands-train in order toset the watch, the pinion always remaining en gaged with the driving-gear.

The eccentric is provided with pin under control of a lever, said leverbeing acted upon by a spring to keep the eccentric in proper positionfor its ring-pinion to engage the winding-gear, or, by suitableconnections, being positively moved by the operator to cause thering-pinion of the eccentric to engage and move the handstrain whendesired to set the watch.

A second pin on the eccentric works in a slot in the watch-plate toprevent the ringpinion from being carried too far into engagement withthe teeth of the winding and hands gears.

This device forms a simple, cheap, and durable means of winding andsetting a watch, and one which requires no mechanism between the mainplates of the watch, and consequently may be applied in any common formof case, irrespective of the design or internal arrangement of the worksof the watch, the bezel winding attachment being especially desirable inopen-faced American watches.

Figure 1 shows a watch with my stem or bezel winding device applied toone of the main or pillar plates of the watch, here shown as the platebeneath the dial, the dial being removed. Figs. 2 and 3 are detailsshowing the eccentric and its ring-pinion in different positions. Fig.4. is a section on the dotted line of Fig. 2, showing the device forthrowing the eccentric gear into proper position to set the watch; andFig. 5, a section on dotted line of Fig. 1, showing the stem and itspinion engaging the teeth of the ring-gear.

The main pillar-plate a, of usual form, is shown as suitably grooved orshouldered at a to engage a shoulder on the ring-gear I), held in placeby the annular piece a screwed to the plate a.

The ring-gear b may be of suitable shape to permit the bezel d of thewatch to be snapped upon it where the said bezel may be, it necessary,secured in any usual way.

The bezel is here shown of usual form for open'faced watches, andprovided with a crystal, d. (See Fig. 4.) v

If the watch is to be a stem-winder the ring-gear b is provided withsuitable external teeth I), to engage a pinion, c, on the stem 6,rotated. as usual by the pendent knob e, the said pinion being whollyoutside the works of the watch, so that it may be placed at any point onthe circle without interfering with said works.

The ring-gear bis provided with teeth at its inner edge to mesh with theteeth of the driving-gear g, pivoted to the plate a, and turned ineither direction by the ring-gear b. It is ob.- vious that thisring-gearmay, either directly or by the interposition of a suitableintermediate gear, be made to turn the usual driving-gear of any commonform of stem-winding watch.

v The driving-gear g engages, the ring-pinion '5, shown as suitablyshouldered, to be held in place by the eccentric disk m, upon 'which itturns, the said disk being eccentrically pivoted to the plate a at m, insuch position that by a slight motion on the pivot m the ring-pinion imay engage either the winding-gear a or one of "the hands-driving gears,herein shown as the minute-wheel 0, the pinion i always rem ainin gengaged with the driving-gear g.

The eccentric-diskm is provided with a pin, 0", held in a slottedportion of the lever t, pivoted at a to the plate a, and acted upon by aspring, w, to keep the ring-pinion pressed toward the winding-gear 'n.

The lever t is provided with a notch having one side, 25, inclined andacted upon by a pin, 00, in a slide, m, moved by the hand-setting rod 00said rod, when drawn out, as in Fig. 3, 1

moving the slide or and pin 00, so that the said pin acts upon theinclined face t of the notch in the lever to throwthe said lever inproper position to bring, by the pin 1', the ring-pinion i intoengagement with the minute-wheel 0.

The eccentric-disk m is provided with a pin, 2, which moves in a slot inthe plate a, (shown in dotted lines at 3,) to limit the motion of thesaid eccentric m, so that the teeth of the ringpinion may not be driventoo far into those of the gears a 0. p

The winding-gear n is provided with a spring-pawl, n, to limititsrotation to one direction.

The operation is as follows: The parts hein g in their normal condition,with the settingrod 00 not drawn out, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, amotion of the gears 11 and g in the direction-of the arrows shownthereon in Fig. 1 brings the teeth of the ring-pinion t against those ofthe winding-gear n in the direction to rotate it against the pawl 12/,which prevents such rotation and stops the teeth of the ring-pinion, andin consequence the gear 9.

does not turn the ring-pinion at first upon its eccentric m, but swingsit with its eccentric toward the pinion 0, the lever t and spring toyielding until coming to the position shown in Fig. 1. The driving-toothof the ring-pinion passes over the tooth of the gear a, when the springto and lever t throw the eccentric and its pinion back into engagementwith the gear n, the ring-pinion having turned the distance of one toothon its eccentric during the operation.

This operation of swinging the eccentric to and fro while its pinionturns thereon continues as long as the movement of the ring-gear biskept up in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. It turned in thedirection shown'in Fig. 2, the ring-pinion remains in engagement withthe winding-gear n, and rotating on the eccentric m as a pivot winds thewatch.

When the setting-rod m is drawn out, as in Fig. 3, the pin or, acting onthe inclined'face on the notch in the lever t, throws it over to bringthe ring-pinion. into engagement with the minute-wheel 0, where it isheld as long as the rod 00 remains drawn out, and rotates on theeccentric to set the watch.

When the rod 40 is pushed in, the spring it again acts to move the levert and throw the eccentric and its ring-pinion out of engagement with theminute wheel 0, said pinion coming radially from the said wheel, so asnot to disturb it in disengaging.

It is obvious that the ring-gear, being operated by the pinion e on thestem wholly outside the works of the watch, or by a portion of the case,as either the front or back bezel or cover of the case, or by adust-ring, is totally independent of the relative position of the worksof the watch and the pendant of the case, and may consequently be usedwith any design of stem-winding watch in either hunting or open-facecase.

The ring-pinion may also be thrown in and out of engagement'with thehands-train in various ways by the proper connections, as by a movementof the stem or pendent ring or pendant or equivalents, several of whichI have successfully put in practice and consider mechanical equivalentsof the device herein fully described, the essential feature being theeccentric di'sk and pinion.

The driving-gear and ring-pinion may be placed on either side of thewinding-arbor of the watch, and the ring-pinion may engage any of thewheels or pinions of the time-train, either directly or by anintermediate wheel.

I am aware that a ring-gear with internal teeth has been used in astem-winding watch; but it was driven by a pinion extending into andrequiring space in the works of the watch.

I am also aware that watches have been wound by rotating the bezel; butI do not know of any that could be both wound and set by the bezel.

I claim- 1. In a watch, a ring-gear provided with internal teeth andmechanism to engage the outer portion'of and rotate the said ring-gearwithout interfering with the works of the watch, and connections betweenthe said ringgear and the winding and hands arbors of the watch toenable the watch to be wound and set, substantially as described.

2. In a watch, a ring-gear provided with internal teeth, and a connectedbezel, and winding and hands arbors, combined with mechanismintermediate between the said ring-gear and arbors to wind and set thewatch by the bezel, substantially as described.

3. In a watch, a pinion rotating on an cecentrically-pivoted disk, soplaced that the said pinion shall always engage a drivinggear, and bymotion of the eccentric-disk on its pivot be brought into engagementwith the gear upon the winding-arbor of the watch, or with one of thehands-gears, but never engage both at the same time, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a watch, an eccentricdisk, and a ringpinion thereon, and gears toactuate the winding and hands arbors, combined with mechanism to holdthe eccentric in adjusted position to cause its ring-pinion to engagethe gear of either winding or hands arbors, substantially as described.

5. The ring-pinion and its eccentricallypivoted disk, provided with apin to engage a curved slot in the main plate of the watch to limit themotion of the said disk, as and for the purpose described.

6. In a watch, a ring-pinion to engage gears connected with the windingand hands arbors, and an eceentrically-pivoted disk therein providedwith a pin, combined with a pivoted lever slotted at one end to engagesaid pin, and acted upon by a spring to move the ringpinion toward thegear connected with the windingarbor, and mechanism to move the leverpositively to place the ring-pinion in engagement with the gearconnected with the hands-arbor, substantially as described.

7. In a watch, the combination, with the driving and winding gears andminute-wheel and eccentric-pinion and eccentric provided with a pin, ofthe setting-rod, connected slide and slide-pin, and a lever provided atone end with an inclined notch to be-acted upon by the said slide-pin,and slotted at its other end to embrace the pin upon the eccentric, asand for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

RUFUS FOLSOM.

Vitnesses M. R. MYERS, J os. P. LIVERMORE.

